No NPS? No Problem!—Franklin

Part Eleven in a seriesprompted by the federal government shutdown. At press time, Congress had approved a budget but it had not yet made its way to the president.

by Lee White

Of all the battlefields of the civil war not protected by the National Park Service, the remains of the field at Franklin seem to resonate the most with civil war enthusiasts. Though little was saved from development, in recent years parts of the field are being reclaimed by the hard work of preservationists.

Today, though still largely developed, you can see scenes of some of the most horrific fighting of the American Civil War at the Carter House, and the haunting effects of the aftermath at Carnton Plantation, both maintained by the Battle of Franklin Trust.

Other sites include the well preserved earthen Fort Granger, from which artillery fired into the Confederate right flank, Winstead Hill where General Hood watched the battle and now offers a great vantage the point to look over the field, the Lotz House which witnessed fighting that saved the Union center, and Rest Haven Cemetery where one of the most famous casualties of the battle is buried, Tod Carter, who fell almost at his own doorstep.